Pocono Marathon Training: Week 6 and 7

March 20, 2013

Week 6 and 7 were opposite in terms of mileage. I missed a long run in week 6 due to the weather and through an extra mid-distance run into week 7. The mileage roller coaster seems to be working out! I like the unexpected rest/recharge days and I like pushing hard on other days. Steph has me doing awesome workouts that are completely new to me and I am enjoying the learning process.

I really liked this workout. It was awesome to through a fast-paced interval in the middle. It definitely made the next 2 miles feel manageable!

Wednesday 3/6: 7.25 mi treadmill hill workout. I made this up as I went along and it was really tough but pretty awesome. I chose a pace ahead of time that I would be able to maintain throughout the workout, even at the high inclines.

Thursday 3/7:60 min Refine Method. I miss this place. We did a lot of balance work during the class.

Friday 3/8:2.5 mi, 9:13 avg.

Saturday 3/9: OFF

Sunday 3/10: 2 mi, 10:30 avg. I was visiting a friend in Boston and I was supposed to run a half marathon as my long run. Unfortunately it snowed about 10 inches and the race was canceled and the roads were not accessible to run. We set out for a jog and ended up leaping over ice and snow piles.

Total for the week of March 4-March 10:

Running: 18 miles

XT: 1 hour (1x 60 min Refine)

Monday 3/11: 11.4 mi, 1:43,9:02 avg. After a weekend of gluttony I needed to be active and I needed to get some miles in. I met Michelle and we headed to the West Side Highway for an unknown distance. We had a spin class at 8:30 so we wrapped it up at 11.4 miles! Solid Monday night run (comfortable pace but felt much faster at times). Afterwards we went to the 45 min Body Ride at Revolve for a cycling class. I worked so hard during that class and afterwards ended up in a full SPRINT in Penn Station to get to my train. So tired.

Thursday 3/14: 3 mi, 8:30 avg. I ran 1.5 mi to/from the Picky Bar run clinic! Steph and Ben demonstrated helpful drills, chatted out Picky Bars and let us know a little bit about what it is like to be a pro runner (re: training, fueling etc)! Awesome experience and I got to meet my coach for the first time!

I also PR’d in overrunning the course. I was almost 1/4 mile over by the 4th mile. I think my watch caught up because it lost a satellite in the tunnel in the last mile! I will work on running tangents! I can’t say anything bad about this race. I had the best time and it was an amazing course! I ran strong and used my head. I raced in the Mizuno Wave Musha and they felt freaking awesome. It was the longest run to date I have done in them and after a successful race I will probably race the marathon wearing them! Solid experience.

Because I can’t get enough of these pictures, I will share them again (size XL):

Total for the week of March 11-March 17:

Running: 45 miles

XT: 45 min (1x 45 min Revolve cycling)

Going forward I plan on getting back into consistent strength work (at least 2x each week) and focusing on my fueling! Only 8 weeks to go until the marathon!

Comments

For Poconos, one thing I practiced was finishing uphill routes. I also made sure I stayed at my inteneded avg pace even down the hills. It is easy to try and take the “free speed” down the 2 steep hills. I was able to take on the few climbs at the end, it also turned pretty warm too.

My pacing on hills has varied but now I feel the most comfortable maintaining the same pace up and down the hill! I want to go out and run the course as one of my long runs so I don’t have any surprises!

Looks like training is going well. When I was getting ready for Run for the Red last year it was so warm-hardly any snow. BUT the race was also SUPER hot. Not enjoyable. Keep up the good work, you will be great!Jenelle @Mile Twenty Eight recently posted…A Workout and My New Job

Congrats on your PR!
I need to start figuring out some hill stuff too. It is so flat here. Yet I heard my Nashville Marathon is a really hilly course.Abby @ BackAtSquareZero recently posted…Running Music

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Meet Ashley

Welcome to Running Bun! I am Ashley, a working-mom who loves running and training for races, attempting yoga inversions, a strong cocktail, and a good dose of sarcasm. This blog is where I share a lot of random thoughts about the above with some parenting woes mixed in for good measure.